NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Police in North Adams have made an arrest has been made in connection with this week's brutal rabbit killings there.

According to police, 23-year old Wayne Brackett, Jr., a North Adams resident, was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

While authorities will not say if he has confessed to the crime, Brackett, Jr. apparently has told them he at least knew of the killings or had previously seen the surveillance video of them.

According to the Massachusetts SPCA (MSPCA), a search of Brackett, Jr.'s residence revealed evidence the corroborated the charges against him, which include malicious killing of an animal, animal cruelty, and breaking and entering.

In a written statement Sergeant Roy Sutton of the MSPCA's Law Enforcement department said, "In addition to assigning many man hours to the investigation, we have thoroughly reviewed surveillance footage of the crime scene, examined the scene and bodies of the animals, secured a necropsy of one of the rabbits, enlisted the assistance of a state police tracking dog, and carefully interviewed numerous witnesses and the suspect. Following this thorough investigation, the suspect's residence was searched and an arrest was able to be made."

While covering the arrest, NEWS10 photographer Kenny Rader noticed police carrying a pair of heavy boots and a black backpack with white stripes. In security footage of the rabbit killings, the suspect is seen wearing a similar backpack.

Authorities say the suspect broke into at least 2 local businesses Tuesday night, before breaking into Berkshire County Counstruction on Ashland Street. Surveillance video from Berkshire County Construction shows the man trying to break into several trucks outside the business.

Unsuccessful at entering the trucks, the video then shows the man turning his attention to a spot behind a garage where owner John Duquette's 6-year old daughter housed her 17 pet rabbits.

Police say the suspect set the rabbits free and took his rage out on them, brutally killing at least 5. After the rampage, only 3 rabbits were recovered. The others are believed to have run away or were dragged off by other animals.

This surveillance video captured the suspect flinging the rabbits, bludgeoning one of them and kicking another to death.

The man even left one rabbit hanging from a chain.

On Friday morning, police released even more troubling news that he used a knife on some of the rabbits during this rampage, stabbing one rabbit several times.

Before the rabbit killings, authorities say the suspect busted out windows at a nearby drilling company and tried to break into a trailer at a campground before being chased away.

Over $9,000 in reward money was put up for information leading to the suspect's capture, including $5,000 from a NEWS10 sponsor, and $1,000 from both The Pittsfield Police Animal Control and Berkshire Humane Society.

The personal support for John Duquette's wife, Tracy, who says she can't bring herself to tell her daughter what happened, has also been a bright spot.

"Strangers calling saying I am so sorry, my granddaughter is the same age," she said. "It's overwhelming."

Brackett. Jr. will be held in the North Adams Police Department over the weekend. He has been charged with 5 counts of animal cruelty, 5 counts of malicious killing of an animal, 1 count of breaking and entering at night, and 1 count of malicious destruction of property.

According to the MSPCA's website, violation of the state's animal cruelty laws "may result in a sentence of up to 5 years in state prison, or up to 2.5 years in a county jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500."

Stay with NEWS10 and wten.com for more information.

We will have more updates here, as well as on air during NEWS10 @ 5:30, and 6 p.m.

YAY!
If things were my way, people charged with animal cruelty would get exactly what they did to the poor animals, except in killings, where they would be repeatedly raped, whipped and thrown into a big pile of poo till they're sorry, then thrown in jail, of course.

Only 5 years? I'd sentence him for life. Needlessly killing animals is just as bad as needlessly killing humans.

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Too true. But needlessly killing humans doesn't even get that much time - it's not unheard of for a guy to be out in three years in some cases... What is wrong with our society these days? (Or maybe we should go for the shorter list - what is actually right with our society?)

This is some seriously stupid shit.
Why don't they go after people who kill flies and mass-murder ants with ant powder?
Idiots.

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I can see where you're coming from, but those flies and ants don't 'belong' to someone as far as I know, the rabbits in this case DID 'belong' to someone, and the guy killed those poor rabbits, just like that.

Also, killing bugs is legal (or at least it is an unwritten rule) but killing mammals, no. Unless in hunting properties but that is a completely different case and I will not discuss it any further.

this has got to be the strangest user submitted news ever... i mean animal cruelty is f'ed and im glad they caught the guy...but its local news from North Adams, MA?... not even national news?... who cares?

i guess all the 'tempers in North Adams who own rabbits can sleep easy tonight

As much as I disagree with the needless killing of animals, I certainly cannot agree with some opinions on here that he should be 'killed', 'raped' etc....

Yes, they were private property.
Yes, he's probably a sicko.
And yes, he should be punished (I think 5 years is about right with regards to the home invasions and destruction of private property)
But no, it is not the same as killing a human and should not be treated as such.

Animals die every day by human hands, and it's easy to make distinctions between mammals and insects (cute vs. ugly).
If one is going to defend the moral right for a rabbit to live unharmed, then one must also defend the rights of 'all' other animals (i.e. fish, insects, and even paramecium).

It's just way to convenient to give moral rights to things with 2 eyes and soft fur.

this has got to be the strangest user submitted news ever... i mean animal cruelty is f'ed and im glad they caught the guy...but its local news from North Adams, MA?... not even national news?... who cares?

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Yeah. That's becoming the main problem of USN now. More than half of it is about stuff no one cares about, it's not even gaming related and should in fact go in GOTC.